A picturesque town halfway between the mouth of the artery coming from Lake Lugano and the western shore of Lake Como, for this reason it is the most important center of trade and services in the entire northern area of Lake Como.
Due to its excellent position the territory has always been inhabited since prehistoric times. First Roman settlement and fortified village in the Middle Ages then, Menaggio was centered around a castle with a moat, four towers and a double order of walls. Even today, the highest part of the old city is called Fortezza.
In Menaggio there are some interesting buildings that deserve to be visited. For example, the Romanesque church of Santo Stefano where inside are kept paintings of the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries. From the road that runs along its left side you get to the ancient village, where the architecture still has characters of medieval origin. Also here is the surviving stone wall of the castle of Menaggio and the highest point of the village. Also of interest is the seventeenth-century Church of San Carlo, which stands out for its bell gable and to house a painting by Giuseppe Vermiglio of 1625.
Another place to admire is the lakefront. It starts from the marina, passing in front of the ancient core of Menaggio with its characteristic porticoed houses and along the lake flanked by parks and gardens. Once you have passed the mouth of the Torrente Sanagra you arrive at the seventeenth-century Church of San Rocco.
